However, right as it seemed the request would be denied, councillors floated the idea of loaning EPS the money to fund the helicopter itself.

“They can repay that amount of money over five, six [or] seven years, maybe longer, if they prefer,” said Councillor Sarah Hamilton, who sits on the police commission.

“It’s a much smaller hit to the budget, so to speak. They can also decide: is this the best way to spend that money? Could we lease a helicopter? Could we buy one secondhand? Could we share one? So there’s a lot of options here and it keeps the helicopter request alive.”

Watch below: It appears there’s not as much room to borrow as in years past and that means Edmonton City Council may need to drop items from its wish-list as the budget debate continues. Vinesh Pratap reports.